As used herein, the term “hydration system” refers to a fluid reservoir from which an elongate drink tube extends and terminates at a mouthpiece from which a user may draw drink fluid from the reservoir. The reservoir is often a flexible fluid reservoir that includes a resealable fill port through which drink fluid may be poured into the reservoir, and an exit port through which drink fluid may be drawn through the drink tube. The reservoir is typically housed in a body-mounted pack that enables the reservoir to be carried on a user's body. Conventional hydration systems include back-mounted backpack-style hydration systems, waist-mounted hydration systems, and hydration systems that include both waist and shoulder straps.
In the context of waist-mounted hydration systems, the pack is conventionally designed to be secured around a user's waist with the reservoir supported proximate a user's lower back. The pack includes a pair of straps that extend from opposed sides of the pack and are designed to respectively extend around a user's hips and to be coupled together with a buckle or other fastener proximate the user's abdomen. Conventionally, rigid clips or similar fasteners are used. Typically, at least one of the straps is adapted have an adjustable length, with the free end of the strap dangling from the fastener in front of the user when the hydration system is worn. Some hydration systems include a mechanism for applying compression to the reservoir, as this compression makes it easier to draw drink fluid from the reservoir. Conventionally, waist-mounted hydration systems either do not include any compression system or they include a compression system that uses a strap assembly that is operated independent of the waist strap. By “independent of,” it is meant that the compression to the reservoir can be increased using the compression system without adjusting the waist straps, and vice versa.